Ironing device



March 28, 1944. E. E. FOSTER 2,345,251

IRONING DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet l I a wa'w E. FasZer' 'Marh 28, 1944. E. E. FOSTER 2,345,251

IRONING DEVICE v Filed Aug. 29, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 28, 1944. 5,5. FOSTER 2,345,251 Y I IRONING DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 March 28, 1944.

E. E. FOSTER IRONING- DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ,Iovernfionia wzrr E. Evie/- Filed Aug. 29, 1939 1 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 28, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IRONING DEVICE Edwin E. Foster, Austin. Tex.

Application August 29, 1939, Serial No. 292,411

15 Claims.

The present invention relates to a manually guided andautomatic ironing device. It is an object of the invention to mount a sad iron so that it may be movable, with ironing pressure, on an ironing board in any direction and which is supported above the ironing board in any position when the operators hand has released the handle of the iron. It is a further object of the invention to so construct the mechanism to automatically take care of varying thicknesses of material without any attention of the operator. The operator of the iron is only required to guide the iron over the work since the ironing pressure or force is maintained by the weight of the operators hand which latter is increased by a. lever device.

Further objects will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters'indicate corresponding parts throughout and in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the iron and arm together with parts of the ironing board,

Fig. 2 is a top view of the entire appliance on a small scale,

Fig. 3 is a front view of the ironing board on a small scale,

Fig. 4 is a side view of the iron with a part of the arm with the parts shown as exerting the ironing force,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with certain parts in section and showing the iron in the lifted position, and

Figs. 6 to a are viewsof certain details of which Figs. 6 and 6a are top and side views of the force exerting lever, Figs. 7 and 7a similar views of the handle bracket, Figs. 8 and 8a. similar views of the head member, Figs. 9 and 9a similar views of the neck post, and Figs. 10 and 10a similar views of the slide ring.

The entire apparatus or appliance is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 which show airame standard 2| having four legs, a T-shaped supporting bracket '22 secured at one end to the four legs, an ironing board 23 of any desired configuration secured to another end of the bracket, 2. jointed arm 24 pivotally secured at one end to still another end of the bracket, and the sad iron 25 rotatably and adjustably mounted on the other end of the arm. The arm 24 consists of two sections 26 and 21, Fig. 1, pivoted to each other at 23 and of which section 26 is pivotally mounted at 23 to the bracket 22. The other section 21 has the iron 25 rotatably and adjustably secured thereto.

The operating mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 100 in which the sad iron 25 has the usual heat retaining plate 30, the housing or frame 3| for the electric heating miits, electric wires 32 and the cover shell 33. A neck post 34 is secured on the shell 33 and the post is hollow to accommodate the electric wires 32 and also the thermostat adjustment shaft 35 which connects the dial I00 with the thermostat illl. A head member 31 is pivoted at 38 to the bracket 36 and this member 31 is provided with the usual wooden or composition handle grip 39. A force exerting lever 40 is also pivotally mounted in the bracket 36 at 4| and having a roller 42 mounted in the upper end thereof and pivotally connected to a slide ring 43 at the lower end thereof by means of the forked end 44 on the lever and the two upstanding lugs 45 on the ring.

The slide ring is suitably secured in the arm 21 by means of the fibre bushing 46 and retaining ring 41 which latter is secured in place by means of screws 48. While this structure forms a tight fit it is nevertheless possible to rotate the iron 25 on the arm 21 through 360 and also the iron may rock around an axis defined by the pivot bearings in the lugs 45 and fork 44, which axis runs at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the sad iron. This will make it possible to take up uneven thicknesses of material or any possible irregularity in the general plane surface of the ironing board or cover therefor.

The head member 31 is also provided with a cam 49 secured to the top section 50 by means of the screw 5! and the pivot axle 33. This cam cooperates with the roller 42 of the lever 40.

A tension and counterbalance spring 52 has one end secured to a pin 53 in the bracket 36 and the other end is secured to a pin 54 in the lever 40. A bar 55 is also mounted across the sides 56 which acts as a stop for the lever 40, Fig. 5. In the positions of the iron in Figs. 1 and 5 the sad iron 25 is in the inoperative ornon-ironing, position supported slightly above the ironing board and suspended in mid-air by the arm 24, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, the iron itself being suspended on the arm 21 by means of the spring 52 which latter pulls the lever 40 clockwise around the pivot 4| to thus push down on the ring 43 i'n.the end of the arm 21. The other end of the spring pulls on the pin 53, bracket 38, post 34, the shell 33, plate 30 and thus the iron itself so that the iron is supported whereby it may be vertically adjusted relative to the arm 21.

The mechanism operates as follows: The tension spring 52 is of sufficient strength to cause the iron to always lift automatically the first lever.

from the board to its upper position, Figs. 1 and 5, whenever the weight of the operator's hand is removed from the handle grip 38 whereby, regardless of the thickness ofv the material being ironed, the iron will always follow the operators hand upward by the force of the spring and will remain a short distance above the board and work 'to prevent scorching. When new the operator places his hand on the handle grip 39 and with less than the weight of the hand the elements will assume the position from Fig. 5 to those shown in Fig. 4. During the vertical movement of the iron to and from the board the roller 2 follows a part of the periphery of the cam 49 which has a curvature or cam face which causes the handle grip to raise and lower but very little in relation to the'handle bracket. As

the iron approaches the board and the material to be ironed the cam 49 forces the lever 40 counterclockwise around the pin ll at the same time tensioning the spring 52 and drawing the bracket 36 nearer to the arm 21. The weight of the operator's hand and arm which is about three or four pounds will cause the iron to press downward with approximately twenty pounds pressure, due to the six to one leverage. The arm 21 acts as the fulcrum in this leverage system allowing the weight of the hand to .be multiplied and causing the iron to move through a short distance but with an increased pressure. Any variation in thickness of material will not affect the operation of the appliance except to merely cause the handle grip to stop in a slightly different position. The mechanism merely makes use of the weight of the operator's hand and arm to multiply through a six to one leverage using the arm as a fulcrum to develop twenty pounds pressure. The counterbalance spring 52 will automatically lift the iron itself when the weight of the operators'hand is removed from thegrip 39.

The ironing pressure is created by the mere weight of the operator's hand multiplied to approximately twenty pounds ironing pressure due to the six to one leverage created by the relationship between the lever from the pivot 4| to the roller and the pivot I to the lugs 45 with the arm 21 as the fulcrum.

Referring to Fig. 5, the leverage system consists of the following members; the handle 38 on the handle bracket 36 forms the long end of The short end is the changeable distance between the pivot 38 and the center of the roller 42. This distance becomes less as the iron approaches the board, due to the rolling of the roller against the surface of the cam. The second lever 40 is pivoted on the same handle bracket 36 and the short end of the second lever is the distance between the pivot point 4| and the center of the roller 42, while the long end of the lever 40 is the distance between the point I and the hinge point 45, Fig. 4, where the lever 40 is attached to the lugs on the slide ring-43, which forms the connection to the arm 21. The handle bracket 36 is operatively integral" with the iron itself. The spring 52 causes the lever' 40 to pivot clockwise and slightly more than counterbalance the iron, causing it to always raise ofl the board when the. weight of the operators hand is removed. As the iron approaches the board the roller 42 on the lever 40 approaches thecenter line between the points 4| and 38. When the iron has touched the board and the weight of the operator's hand is allowed to rest on the handle 39, this force not only overcomes the lifting force, but creates a sumcient ironing pressure between the iron and the board. The reaction force is withstood by the arm 21. The effect of the first lever is to multiply the weight of the hand about twelve times, and the effect of the second lever is to change the direction of the force and to reduce this leverage in half, making the total result a 6 to 1 force in the'opposite direction from that of the handle.

It is possible that different garments may require different pressures and this may ,be obtained by moving the hand further forward on the handle for less pressure. In-order to more easily visualize the operation of this device. it can be considered that the iron and handle bracket on which the two pivot points I and 38 are mounted as being stationary, as in Fig. 5. Then the movable handle 39 and the movable link 40 will cause the arm '21 totend to rise when the handle is moved downward. Of course, in

the actual machine the arm is stationary as far a as vertical movement is concerned and the iron and handle bracket are movable.

The ironing board 23 may have its end sections 80 hinged so that they may be folded over on the center section 8!, Fig. 3. The ironing board may thus be made of three sections and when folded the machine takes up less space and a table top cover may be placed over the folded top and mechanism.

I claim as my invention:

1. An ironing device comprising an iron, means for supporting the iron over an ironing surface so that the iron may be moved horizontally, means whereby the iron may be moved vertically, relative to the supporting means, a bracket secured to the iron and having. a handle pivoted thereto, means in the bracket to counterbalance the iron on the supporting means, and a cam and lever device in the bracket and handle effective on the supporting means and bracket to multiply the force of the weight of an operator's hand to create the ironing pressure, said last-mentioned means including a force transmitting lever pivoted to the bracketand having one end cooperating with the handle and the other end secured to the supporting means.

2. An ironing device comprising an iron, an arm adapted to be secured on an ironing board, said iron having a handle bracket secured thereto and a handle grip pivotally mounted on' the bracket, and means fiicluding a force exerting lever pivoted in the handle bracket and a cam in the handle grip operable by movement of the handle grip to apply an ironing pressure utilizing the weight of the operator's hand and the arm as a fulcrum by the lever cooperating at one end with the cam and at the other end with the arm. A

3. An ironing device comprising an iron, a hollow neck post secured to the iron, an arm adapted to be secured'on-an ironingboard and having an opening therein through which the neck post projects, a bracket securedto the neck post and provided with a handle grip pivoted thereto, means secured to the bracket and the arm and operably connected to the handle grip whereby upon movement of the handle grip an ironin pressure will be applied utilizing the weight of the operator's hand and the arm as a fulcrum, said hollow portion in the neck post providing passage for an electric cord from the bracket to the iron for heating the latter, and means mounted on the bracket and passing through the hollow portion in the neck post to adjust a thermostat in the iron.

4. An ironing device comprising an iron, an arm adapted to be secured on an ironing board, means for supporting the iron on the arm 50 that it is capable of rotating through 360, said iron having a handle bracket secured thereto and a handle grip pivotally mounted on the bracket, means in the handle bracket for counterbalancing the Weight of the iron so that the iron will suspend itself and remain suspended on the arm a short distance above the ironing board, and means including a force exerting lever pivoted in the handle bracket and a cam in the handle grip operable by movement of the handle grip to apply an ironing pressure utilizing the weight of the operators hand and the arm as a fulcrum by the lever cooperating at one end with the cam and at the other end with the arm.

5. An ironing device according to claim 4, in which the counterbalance means is a spring secured at one end to the handle bracket and at the other end to the lever.

6. dntironing device comprising an iron, an arm adapted to be secured on an ironing board, means for supporting the iron on the arm so that it is capable of rotating through 360, said iron having a handle bracket secured thereto and a head member pivotally mounted on the bracket, a handle grip secured to the head member, means in the handle bracket for counterbalanclng the weight of the iron so that the iron will suspend itself and remain suspended on the arm a short distance above the ironing board, and means in the handle bracket and the head member operable by the handle grip to apply an ironing pressure utilizing the weight of the operators hand and the arm as a fulcrum, said means comprising a force-exerting lever pivoted in the handle bracket and a cam secured in the handle grip to contact and actuate one end or the lever.

'7. An ironing device according to claim 4, in which the pivot point-for the force-exerting lever is nearer the cam than the arm to thus multiply the approximately three pounds weight of the operators hand to an approximately twenty pound ironing pressure.

8. An ironing device comprising an iron, a hollow neck post secured at one end to the iron, a bracket member secured to the other end of the neck post and provided with a handle grip pivoted thereto, an arm adapted to be secured to an ironing board and having an opening therein through which the neck post projects, an electric cord to heat the iron passing through an opening in the bracket through the latter and through the hollow portion of the neck post, and a shaft extending through the hollow portion in the neck post to adjust a thermostat-in the iron.

9. An ironing device according to claim 4, in which a roller is provided at one end cooperating with the cam.

10. An ironing device according to claim 4, in which a roller is provided at one end cooperating with the cam and the other end of the lever being pivotally connected with the arm.

11. An ironing device comprising an iron, a hollow neck post secured to the iron, an arm adapted to be secured on an ironing board and having an opening therein through which the neck post projects, a bracket secured to the neck post and provided with a handle grip pivoted thereto, means secured to the bracket and the arm and operably connected to the handle grip whereby upon movement of the handle grip an ironing pressure will be applied utilizing the weight of the operators hand and the arm as a fulcrum, said hollow portion in the neck post providing passage for an electric cord from the bracket to the iron for heating the latter, a slide ringin the opening in the arm to which the means is secured, and a retaining ring secured to the arm adjacent the opening to secure the slide ring in the opening, said slide ring acting as a bearing to permit the iron to rotate through 360 on the arm.

12. An ironing device comprising an iron, an arm adapted to be secured on an ironing board, means for supporting the iron on the arm so that it is capable of rotating through 360, said iron having a handle bracket secured thereto and a handle grip pivotally mounted on the bracket,

and means including a force exerting lever pivoted in the handle bracket and a cam in the handle grip operable by movement of the handle grip to apply an ironing pressure utilising the weight of the operator's hand and the arm as a fulcrum by the lever cooperating at one end with the cam and. at the other end with the arm.

13. An ironing device comprising an arm consisting of two sections pivoted to each other at one end of each section on a vertical pivot, said arm being adapted to be pivotally secured to an ironing board at one end of the arm, an iron rotatably secured at the other end oi the arm so that the iron is capable of rotating through 360 and to be moved horizontally over the entire ironing board, said iron having a handle bracket secured thereto and a handle grip pivotally mounted on the bracket, and means including a force exerting lever pivoted in the handle bracket and a cam in the handle grip operable by move ment of the .handle grip to apply an ironing pressure utilizing the weight of the operators hand and the arm as a fulcrum by the lever cooperating at one end with the cam and at the other end with the arm.

14. An ironing device according to claim 13, in which a spring is connected at one end to the handle bracket and the other end to the lever for counterbalancing the weight of the iron so that the iron will suspend itself and remain suspended on the arm a short distance above the ironing board.

5. An ironing devic comprising an iron, an arm on which the iron is supported and movable in a horizontal plane, said iron being vertically movable with respect to the arm, a pair of handle members pivoted to each other and secured to the iron-and means including a force exerting lever pivoted to one of the handle members and a cam secured to the other handle member, said lever supporting the iron on the arm, and the relative movement of the handle members creating the ironing pressure by multiplying the forc of the weight of the operators hand on the handle members by means of the cam and the lever. v

EDWIN E. FOSTER. 

